Is It Safe to Use Marijuana for a Pregnant Woman?

These days, there are many speculations about how dangerous is cannabis consumption, especially when it comes to pregnancy and breastfeeding. While the effects of alcohol, tobacco and “hard drugs” consumption are well-known, there is still not enough data about marijuana’s effect on the developing fetus and newborn babies.

To say it shortly, it is not recommended to use marijuana for pregnant or breastfeeding women. We cannot say that the studies have really solid data about the issue, but we should remember that lack of knowledge is not a good reason to behave irresponsibly. Mother’s and child’s health and safety should always be paramount.

Why is it important?

When it comes to the U.S., somereports indicate that almost 10 percent of pregnant women were consuming marijuana during their pregnancy. A private practice in Wisconsin reported a significant prevalence of consuming marijuana among pregnant women. Additionally, up to 50 percent of pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned, and that means that any women can consume cannabis when they are pregnant and not know about the potential danger.

Last year study by Journal of Perinatology also points out that data about pregnancy-marijuana connection is limited. They analyzed numerous studies, books, articles, and governmental guidelines. They admit though that fetal growth may be affected if a woman is a regular consumer due to the marijuana’s neurological effect. It can increase the risk of behavioral and neurological development problems for a baby.

The study also recommends to significantly decrease or completely stop any marijuana use for women who expect to become mothers. Unless there are some convincing and decisive proofs that marijuana is harmless to a baby, it is better not to put a child at risk.

The Retail Marijuana Public Health Advisory Committee in Colorado, in their turn, also reviewed the available scientific literature about marijuana’s effect on a human body and health. After discussing the issue, they madepublic health recommendations. They also noted that there are gaps in researching marijuana’s effect, including no data about “safe” amount of pot use for pregnant women.

At the same time, the survey notices that there is biological evidence of the THC presence in the breast milk if women consume marijuana and breastfeed their babies. They also point out that infants who drink breast milk with THC get their dose of THC unwillingly and metabolize the drug.

Health care organizations are concerned

Back in March, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued a guide for parents “Marijuana and your baby,” where they discourage women from using marijuana if they are or going to be mothers. They stress the potential danger of consuming THC by a child through the breast milk. They say that THC can be stored for a long time in a human fat tissues, so it would be wiser to abstain from any kind of weed consumption during the pregnancy and breastfeeding period. The danger is, baby’s body also has a lot of fat, so it means, according to the article, that baby’s body will also store THC for long enough time to damage their health.

The guide notes that though marijuana is a natural product, it is still allegedly dangerous for a kid. They compare marijuana to tobacco and poisonous berries that are also natural but at the same time are dangerous for our health.

They also do not recommend using marijuana as a medicine. It is usually recommended to avoid any kind of medicine during pregnancy and breastfeeding period unless this is prescribed by a doctor.

Be alert

Less than a month ago, the American Medical Association agreed to push marijuana dispensaries to warn their customers about potential harm marijuana can cause to a pregnant woman or a newborn baby. This decision was made due to the studies that show an alleged connection between mother’s cannabis consumption and baby’s low birth weight and behavioral problems in young children.

Several national women’s health organizations also discourage marijuana use by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. They make no difference in using alcohol or marijuana when it comes to harm it can cause to a baby.

There is indeed not enough data, and more studies should be done to get a complete picture of the situation, but so far, most of the health care organizations agree to recommend to stay away from consuming cannabis during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Even if we do not have a proof that marijuana can harm your kid, it is better not to experiment on your child.

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